Chewy, Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies

Okay, so I thought I had already found my perfect brownie. I thought I was content and never needed to try another brownie recipe again. Ina’s is so very good, it would be impossible to top it – right? Wrong. So wrong. I’m not even exactly sure what compelled me to try this recipe because I normally feel no desire to try new brownies when I have found one I love – I’m thinking it was the name that hooked me. That, and the fact that these come from Baking Illustrated which has yet to fail me…or has yet to turn out anything less than perfect (see cheesecake, berry pie, and snickerdoodles for examples). So I made these mostly out of curiosity as to whether they could replace my favorite brownie.

While I will always hold Ina’s brownies in very high regard, this version has them beat. I vastly prefer the texture of these (as the title says, chewy and fudgy) where I sometimes find Ina’s on the verge of crumbly. Not only that but these are quite a tall brownie, yielding a thick bar of yummy chocolate goodness. And, they bake up with a thin, delicate shiny crust on top that makes them pretty. I’ve never made such aesthetically pleasing brownies before, but I like it! As far as methods go these are not that different from other brownie recipes. My only change was to cut them into larger pieces. These are baked in an 8×8-inch pan, and the original recipe calls for them to be cut into 64 1-inch square pieces. HAHA! I’m sorry, but these are brownies, not fudge – I want a real piece! I cut them into 12 pieces, but I think 16 would be just fine too. Now, get thee to the kitchen and prepare to be wowed!

Directions

Place an oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

02

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.

03

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. (It took me a while to get the flour evenly incorporated and I was worried it would affect the texture of the brownies, but they turned out fabulously – no need to worry.) Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

04

Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares as desired. Store in an air-tight container.

It seems like I have made these in the past. I’ll have to make them again to see :) I never turn down a chance to try a brownie! I am also with you on the size- 64 pieces, seriously? 12 or 16 sounds more my style!

okay…I’m saving these. I went to a bbq a few weekends ago where my friend made the best brownies I’ve ever had. She told me there were three types of chocolate in them but that was the only hint of the recipe she would give me. What a stinker huh?! I think these could be them-or mighty close. I am going to give it a whirl for sure. Thank you. Thank you!

These look sooooo good! However, you HAVE to try the “Baked Brownie”. It is the most perfect bite of brownie I have ever tasted. It also uses chocolate and cocoa powder. The recipe is up on my blog if you wanna give it a whirl.

I am definitely going to try these! I am always looking for a great brownie recipe, but most of them call for espresso and my husband hates anything that tastes like coffee. I know a lot of people say you can’t taste it and it just brings out the flavor of the chocolate, but I am too nervous that he won’t like them. So I am very happy that this recipe is coffee/espresso free and I can’t wait to try them.

Lorie

Sorry to keep bothering you! We are going away for a week w/ some friends so I am getting the menu ready. So with these, do brownies freeze well? It may be easier for me to make these at home so we don’t need to turn on a hot oven! If not, how many days do they last?

Thanks!

Annie

Hi Lorie,
I have no idea how brownies freeze because they have never lasted long enough for me to find out. I imagine they would be fine. I also don’t know how long they keep because again, we demolished them pretty quickly. Sorry, just use your judgement.
:) Annie

Amy Quinn

Finally! The perfect brownie recipe!

LingLing7

Thanks so much, it was ridiculously easy to make. Best brownie I’ve made! Here’s how it turned out!

mollyh

These are so delicious! My husband is definitely a brownie snob, and he told me to bookmark these because they were the best he’s had. Thanks!

These were awesome! I swear, since discovering you a few weeks ago, my husband is eating so much better! You have compelled me to make two or three homemade items a week, and we are all loving it.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Sarah

Sheila

Annie – could you double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan? I need to bring brownies to a function Saturday night and need a better quantity.

Annie

Hi Sheila,
You could definitely do that. You may have to adjust the baking time a bit since the batter will be slightly more spread out, but that should work fine.
:) Annie

Sue

those look amazing! i for sure will be trying these!! :)

Owen Meany

Hi,
Just used this fab recipe in petite muffin tins, 12 per tin. Made nearly 36 little brownies, looked like cupcakes! I sprayed the tins with bake easy and left them in the oven about 17 mins. I called them mighty bitey brownies!

It was a little difficult spooning in the batter,about 2.5 teaspoons, especially toward the end because the batter started to thicken. Left drips on the tops of the tin and slide them in the oven. After cooling for 4 minutes, I loosened a few with the tip of a knife and they popped out nicely.

Wow! They beat Ina’s brownies? I’ve yet to try Ina’s, so I’ll just skip her recipe and try these. :D

Cody

Annie – do you think salted butter could be used on this recipe instead of unsalted? I usually make everything with salted butter and that is all I have in the house – I might have to make a trip to my grocery store. :-)

Christine

Annie- I completely agree with you about these brownies; I actually discovered them myself in my own Baking Illustrated book a couple of months ago (agree with you about that book too, by the way). I made about 300 of them with different toppings for my brother-in-law’s wedding reception last month – the bride had requested brownies instead of wedding cake. That was five half-sheets. I have the recipe multiplied just about perfectly for a standard half-sheet (13×17 I think?) if you ever want to bake them in serious bulk. I made lots plain, like you have pictured, but with a sprinkling of mini-chocolate chips, and then a pan each with a peanut butter topping, a peppermint / candy cane topping, and a sort of German-chocolate topping. They seemed to go over well with the wedding attendees.

Mindy

Annie, Do you think these are too rich to put ganache on top? Thanks!

Annie

Mindy,
Yeah, probably. They are just so wonderful on their own, I really don’t think the ganache is necessary (and I am normally a HUGE fan of ganache :) )

Mindy

Thanks for your fast response, Annie! I’m making these for my favorite ski bootfitter. It’s an “I’m Sorry” gift…I almost took off his ear with my ski pole while diving in to give a sweet friend a hug. I forgot I had them in my hand when I saw her and my poor bootfitter was on his knees fitting her for boots. I’m sure he’ll love these

I made these over the weekend for my sister’s birthday, and they were great!! I made the brownies from The Best Light Recipe as well (which uses baking powder), and both are delicious. These are definitely a very attractive brownie!

I just brought these to a family bbq tonight and everyone loved them! I had a taste of a piece of one in the kitchen to make sure they had turned out alright before serving them since I’d never made brownies from scratch before and when I got outside to get a “real” serving, they were gone! I added semi-sweet chocolate chips to mine and oh man, they were sooooo good. I’ve put your recipe with my adjustments up on my blog and linked it and your photo back to you, hope that is ok :)

What kind of chocolate and cocoa powder do you use? Can you please email me ??? I want to make these tonight

Annie

Chocolate – I assume you mean semisweet vs. bittersweet? I just use whatever I have on hand, usually bittersweet or a combination. Cocoa powder, just not Dutch-process.

hannah

Dear Annie, how long would the brownies have to cook in a 13×9 pan

Annie

I’m assuming you mean if you double the recipe. Probably about the same amount of time, but you really just need to use the toothpick test as stated in the directions to determine doneness.

Raven

annie i am with hannah i have a 13x9pan so does the time have to be shorter because i am not talking about if you double the recipe i am talking about using all those same measurements and putting them in a 13×9 pan. And by the way when you say 5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped do you mean a bar or chip and could you use chip. Thanks for answering when you do.

Kayah

isn’t 8 oz a cup for the flour and chocolate because you said 5 0z

Annie

If you make the regular recipe in a 9×13 inch pan, the brownies will be a totally different texture and much, much thinner. You will probably have to shorten the baking time. I definitely wouldn’t recommend using the 9×13 if you aren’t going to double the recipe. The chocolate is 5 oz. chopped, and the bars have ounce measurements on them.

Annie

You’re thinking of fluid ounces. 8 fluid ounces = 1 cup. Ounces of a solid cup vary depending on what you are measuring. A cup of marshmallows would obviously weigh less than a cup of rice.

raven

can i use chocolate chips instead of bars

raven

sorry for sending it like this but if i double the recipe will it overflow the pan

Annie

Use bars.

Annie

No, if you use an 8×8 inch pan, make a single recipe. If you use a 9×13 double the recipe. I don’t know a clearer way to explain it.

I can’t wait to try these, I have been SEARCHING for the *perfect* brownies for so long, they look great!

Sheila

YUUUUMMMMMM! I made these Wednesday night and my search for the perfect made from scratch brownies is officially over! I threw all the other recipes that I have ever tried away last night and wrote on this one that it is simply THE BEST BROWNIES EVER!!! NEVER throw this paper AWAY or loose it!!! My family is in heaven! Annie keep up the good work! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Emily

Annie, do you have to use unsalted butter? Can you just use salted?

Annie

Unsalted is preferred but it won’t make a huge difference.

Melissa

I just made these Annie and they are fabulous! Definitely a keeper!

Wendy

My brother gave me Baking Illustrated for Christmas a few years back. It’s my go-to cookbook for baking. If you like oatmeal raisin cookies – try the one in this book. They’re my favorite!

hanisah

I just baked this yesterday nite….awesome!!!!!!!it was even better once it was cooled to room temperature…my friends immediately wanted the recipes!!!!!!thanx annie….~

Irene

Hi Annie,
Thanks to you, I just bought a copy of Baker’s Illustrated. I just made the black and white cookies! Have you ever made them? My husband and I live in Brooklyn, the home of the black and white cookie (they were even favors at our wedding). These cookies did not disappoint! They are as good, if not better, than the fancy bakery ones.
Thanks,
Irene

Penny

I am so making these

La’Tashanaijia

Hi Annie I have a quick question um.. like have you ever tried doubling the recipe and if you did..Did it turn out good? And if you didn’t can you try and get back to me.Thanks!!!!!!

hi, i just made these and misread the salt measurement. i put in 2 tsp! I tried to compensate by adding more sugar. they’re in the oven now, so we’ll see how they turn out. what should you do when you add too much salt by mistake?

Annie

I’m not sure you can do much to correct that. I’ve never tried. Good luck!

KK

Perhaps I like a different brownie then Jennifer, but I did not care for the King Arthur recipe. I feel there was far too much cocoa powder which made for dense but still cake like texture (not chewy). I will try this recipe next. I think with the use of far less cocoa powder, it will be much more to my liking.

ashanti

hi, annie, I Saw all thw comments. my doubt was about the 1cup, 5 oz instead of 8, thata was cleared aFTER a saw the comments. my new doubt is: how much grams or cups would if be for the chocolates?

Annie

Please see the FAQ page regarding conversions.

Mel

Hi Annie,

These look great. I can’t wait to try the recipe. Btw, can I add chopped walnuts to the batter? Or, do you think it will throw off the texture or flavor? Also, do you usually sprinkle powdered sugar on your brownies or leave them as is.

Thx.

annieseats

You can mix in whatever you like, but I omit any nuts because to me, they ruin a perfect chocolate dessert :)

Jazyep

I love the “store in Airtight container” at the end!
It didn’t last long enough to do that!! LoL

Hillary

Made these tonight and they were so delicious! I couldn’t wait for them to cool completely so I just added a scoop of ice cream and they were fab. Annie some of your responses to the comments crack me up!

Charlotte

A good friend of mine lost her 14yo dog this week; I think a pan of these will be great mourning food! Thanks!

Melissa Brooker

I just made these, so easy! I’ve never made brownies with real chocolate before , the only recipes I’ve tried call for only cocoa powder, and they’ve never been what I wanted, now these are amazing. I made a double batch, half for my sister, niece and nephew and half for me and my husband!